Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Trump didn’t have much to say about health policy during the State of the Union last night. But we’re definitely at a health care crossroads right now. So I asked a handful of the smartest policy experts for their assessments.
What they’re saying: The state of the health care system is... all over the place, depending on who you ask. But most experts agree that it's in a time of upheaval and uncertainty.
- “Mixed and murky … The ACA marketplace gets all the attention, and while enrollment has been stronger than expected and insurers are now profitable, the future is uncertain … Looking at the bigger picture, we in the U.S. spend far more on health care than any other wealthy country, and what we get for it is worse outcomes and shorter life expectancy.” — Larry Levitt, Kaiser Family Foundation
- “Exciting … There is a tremendous space for innovation and experimentation … The challenge now is for the states to find ways to craft programs that fit local circumstances and values.” — David Anderson, Duke University
- “Complicated, and things will get more complex before they get easier ... It will be a time period of trade-offs, where attempts to gain savings will require that some people won’t get access to low-value care that they desire, while others will hopefully get the care that they need.” — Craig Garthwaite, Northwestern University
- “Better than we expected a year ago, but still greatly uncertain … The irony of the past year is President Trump and Republicans have ratified the public consensus around the ACA, and maybe something more radical.” — Harold Pollack, University of Chicago
The bottom line: We're in a period of intense change, both politically and practically.